There is no denying the absolute stellar year for New York Jets rookies in 2022. Breece Hall was on track for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award before getting hurt. Garrett Wilson picked right up where Breece left off and ended up with the award, himself, despite shaky (at best) QB play.

On the defensive side, Sauce Gardner not only proved to be the best rookie cornerback of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he might be the best corner in the league after just one season. Add in guys like Max Mitchell and Jermaine Johnson, who have proven to be talented pieces, and it looks like arguably one of the best draft classes in Jets history after one year.

But it was just one year.

Looking ahead to the 2023 season, the Jets have high hopes mostly built on the foundation of new quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the youth movement of Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner. Rightfully so. Rodgers is a first ballot Hall of Famer and Wilson and Gardner are the reigning ROTYs.

But don’t expect things to be easier for the duo in Year 2. There is no way opposing teams will look past these two as “rookies to be tested”. There is also the idea of a sophomore slump. Something we have seen countless times in the past. Cadillac Williams? Percy Harvin? Sam Bradford? Robert Griffin III? And that’s just the offensive rookies.

Looking at 2023 for Wilson: Miami's trade for Jalen Ramsey to go along with a tough schedule could see the rookie having a difficult time producing as he did last year.

Using PFF top cornerback rankings, in 2023, Garrett Wilson is slated to go head-to-head with: Jalen Ramsey or Xavien Howard twice, Patrick Surtain II, Darius Slay or James Bradberry, Trevon Diggs or Stephon Gilmore, A.J. Terrell, Jonathan Jones twice and Tre’Davious White twice.

That puts Wilson man to man with one of the top 17 corners in the game 10 times next year. The Jets face at least one of the cornerbacks in the top 17 nine times in 2023.

If Wilson gets the respect he deserves, he is going to have to make a lot of difficult catches in his sophomore season.

Expectations for Wilson are through the roof, with even former star wide receivers taking notice of his ability. Putting up the numbers he did last year and now having Aaron Rodgers will only help to for him to continue to grow.

On the other side, things don’t get much easier for Sauce Gardner. Again using PFF’s rankings, this time of the top 32 wide receivers in the league in 2023, Sauce will go heads up with: Stefon Diggs twice, CeeDee Lamb or Brandin Cooks, Davonte Adams, AJ Brown or Devonta Smith, Keenan Allen or Mike Williams, Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle twice, Terry McLaurin and Amari Cooper.

The Jets reigning DROY will have his hands full in nine games next season going up against one of those guys. He will face 12 of the top 30 wide receivers in 2023.

Expectations are already sky high for Gardner, who perhaps is expected to be better than even

Wilson in 2023 and beyond.

The tests will come early and often for the Jets sophomore stars this season and if you asked them, they probably wouldn’t want it any other way. Players like to go up against the best to prove that they belong. These Jets in their second season certainly belong.

While the Jets sophomores might be headed for a gauntlet in 2023, if they continue to progress the way fans and coaches expect, it will be other teams that worry about facing the Jets stars each season.

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